Sealable transport trailer container with hinging baffles

ABSTRACT

A container for use on a dump truck style transport trailer is described, and specifically a container for transporting a fluid mixture such as a slurry or sludge is described. The container has interior hinging baffles for dividing the container into compartments and preventing the contents in the container from moving around during transport. The container has a tailgate that is connected to the baffles such that pivoting the tailgate causes the baffles to pivot. The container also includes a sealable lid that can be opened for loading contents into the container and closed for preventing spillage of the contents during transportation. A cleaning system and heating system for the container are also described.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/830,421 filed on Jun. 3, 2014, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a container for use on a transport trailer forthe transportation of a fluid mixture such as a slurry. The transporttrailer has a sealable lid and hinging baffles to facilitate theloading, unloading and transport of fluid mixtures where containment andpreventing movement of the fluid mixture during transport are important.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two commonly used motor vehicles for transporting loads on roadways aretractor trailers and tank trucks or “tankers”. Tractor trailerstypically comprise a towing vehicle, commonly referred to as the tractoror the truck, and one or more semi-trailers for carrying cargo. Thesemi-trailer is attached to the tractor at a point just forward of therear-most axle of the tractor such that a fraction of the weight of thetrailer is carried by the tractor.

Tankers are primarily used to carry various liquid or semi-liquidcargoes. A tanker typically comprises a sealed cylindrical tank lyinghorizontally on a truck bed and often includes an integral pumpingsystem for pumping material in and out of the tank. Large tankers canhave a capacity ranging from 21,000 to 44,000 L (5,500 to 11,600 USgallons), while small tankers have a capacity less than 11,000 L (3,000US gallons). Tankers may include additional features such as insulation,pressurization, and/or compartmentalization, depending on the cargoesbeing carried. Due to the cylindrical shape, a tanker has a high centerof gravity which makes them more difficult to drive than a tractortrailer.

For transporting various fluid materials, including mixtures of liquidsand solids like a sludge or slurry, both tractor trailers and tankerscan be used. A vacuum tanker is a specific type of tanker that istypically used for transporting sludge and slurries such as drillingmuds, drill cuttings and cement from oil and gas well sites, as well assewage and waste from cleaning streets, sewers, septic tanks and greasebins. A vacuum tanker uses a heavy duty vacuum system for pneumaticallyloading and unloading material into and out of the tank through suctionlines. While vacuum tankers can be effective for transportingslurries/sludge, they are generally more expensive than tractor trailersand the inside of the tank can be difficult to access for cleaning andmaintenance purposes. As such, dump truck tractor trailers having acontainer on the trailer are often used for transporting asludge/slurry.

Using a dump truck tractor trailer allows a sludge/slurry in thecontainer to be quickly and easily unloaded, as one side or end of thecontainer can lift up and a gate opens on the opposite side or end toallow the sludge/slurry to flow out of the container through the gate.Using an open top container dump truck allows a sludge/slurry to easilybe loaded into the container using an auger and allows easy access tothe container for cleaning and maintenance purposes. However, thesludge/slurry can slosh around in the container and spill over the sidesof the container during transport. Using a closed container can helpkeep the sludge/slurry in the container, however it makes it moredifficult to load and clean the container. Furthermore, thesludge/slurry can still slosh around in the container during transport,making it difficult for the driver to handle the truck under variousdriving conditions. The slurry/sludge may also accumulate at one end ofthe truck when the driver accelerates or decelerates, or when the truckis driving up or down a hill. This is especially problematic drivinguphill, as the slurry/sludge may amass at the rear end of the container,moving the center of load to the rear of the trailer and removing theload from the truck drive axles that are located near the front of thetrailer, causing the truck to be unable to drive up the hill. This isespecially problematic at oil and gas sites where steep hills and roughroads are often encountered.

To solve the problem of a slurry/sludge sloshing around and/oraccumulating at one end of the container, the slurry/sludge may be mixedwith another material for stabilization. At oil and gas sites, sawdustis often mixed with a slurry of drill cuttings to stabilize the drillcuttings for transport. However this results in increased costs and timedue to additional steps, additional materials, additional labor, and anincreased volume of material to transport. Furthermore, if the slurry isto be transported to a site for separation and recovery of the slurrycomponents the addition of a further component complicates theseparation process and creates further waste material.

Tankers and containers may be insulated to help prevent the contentsfrom freezing in cold temperatures, which makes it difficult to unloadthe contents from the tank/container. A drawback with insulation is thatit adds extra bulk and weight to the tank/container, which can reducethe volume and weight of material that can be transported in a load.While the insulation may be useful when temperatures are near or belowfreezing, tanks/containers are often used in locations with seasonalvariation, and the insulation adds unnecessary weight/bulk during thewarmer months

Accordingly, there is a need for an economical transport trailer havinga container for transporting a sludge/slurry that is easy to unload andunload, and wherein the sludge/slurry is stabilized in the containerwithout adding further materials to the sludge/slurry. There is also aneed for a transport trailer container that can be cleaned easily andthat prevents the contents from freezing in cold temperatures

A review of the prior art reveals several patents related to variousstyle transport trucks and tankers.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,314 to Petretti teaches a flush tank end-dump styleeductor truck adapted to siphon debris from a sewer/catch basin. Thetruck includes a settling tank having a series of vertical hingedinternal baffles dividing the tank into sections and a hinged rear door.When a mixture of debris and liquid is siphoned into the rear-mostsection of the settling tank, the heavier debris falls to the floor andthe fluid is distributed through all the settling tank sections byflowing through large openings in the internal baffles. The baffle nearthe front end of the tank includes small openings to strain out the finedebris from the fluid as it flows into the front-end compartment. Thisstrained fluid can then by re-used to further flush out the sewer/catchbasin. When the settling tank is to be emptied, the tank is pivotedupwardly by a hydraulic cylinder and the rear door and internal bafflesswing open around upper pivots to permit debris to be cleaned out. Therear door contains a hydraulically-activated latch mechanism to preventthe door from opening until the tank is in a full upward tilt position.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,973 to van der Lely teaches a cylindrical transporttank for transporting a mixture of manure and water having guide membersto produce recirculating and swirling motions of the mixture within thetank as the result of normal movements of the tank duringtransportation. A first guide member is inclined upwardly from the rearof the tank to the front of the tank, curving downwards at the front, tocause the mixture to surge forward up the guide member during stoppingmotions. A second guide member extends from the top of the tankdownwardly at an inclination opposite the first guide member to preventthe mixture from sloshing backwards to the rear of the tank after it hassurged forward. The rearmost portion of the first guide member ishinged, thereby allowing the returning mixture to rotate this portion ofthe first guide upwardly and flow toward a rear discharge valve.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,091 to Hagenbuch teaches a water tanker havinginternal baffles for preventing surging of the water duringtransportation. The internal baffles are configured to allow maintenanceaccess between compartments defined by the baffles Specifically, thereare lateral baffle doors along the interior sides of the tanker thatopen and close like a door from a lateral direction to a longitudinaldirection, such that when all the doors are in an open longitudinaldirection, workers have unobstructed access to the side sections of thetanker from the front end to the rear end.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,070 to Williams teaches an internal baffle systemfor a tank to prevent fluid surges. Specifically, the interior of thetank is divided into upper and lower compartments by a plurality ofupper stationary vertical baffles extending downward from the topinterior wall of the tank to a middle point within the tank, and aplurality of lower stationary vertical baffles extending upward from thebottom interior floor of the tank to the middle point. A rotatablemember is positioned in the middle of the tank between the upper andlower baffles and is moveable between an open and closed position toeither allow or block fluid from flowing between the upper and lowercompartment.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,005 to Sons et al teaches a tank for transportingliquids having a baffle system to control liquid surges. The bafflesystem includes large longitudinal cylindrical hollow baffles extendingthe length of the tank and transverse support partitions extendingbetween the side walls of the tank.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,119 to Scharenberg teaches a collapsible fuel tankfor an aircraft having “cross elements” or baffles positionedtransversely in the interior of the tank and spaced apart longitudinallyfrom the front to the rear of the tank to provide internal support. Thebaffles are generally circular in shape and have a vertically positionedhinge in the middle of the baffle to allow the baffle to fold in halfwhen the fuel tank is collapsed.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,308 to Laudato, Jr. teaches a railway car having abuilt-in swimming pool containing moveable vertical hinged, baffles thatoperate automatically to contain the water when the train accelerates,decelerates or stops. The baffles are hinged to a side wall of thetrain, and lie relatively flat against the wall in the retractedposition. The baffles are actuated automatically when the braking systemof the train is applied, swinging outwardly from the side wall to extendtransversely towards the opposite side wall, extending across the poolto inhibit forward or rearward displacement of the water.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,342 to van der Lely teaches a tank wagon for liquidmaterial having internal partitions with dampeners that divide the tankinto compartments and counteract movement of the liquid material withrespect to the tank in one direction only: from the rear to the front ofthe tank. The internal vertical partitions extend between the side wallsof the tank, leaving an opening between the bottom edge of the partitionand the tank floor. The bottom section of the partition has a flap thatrests in an open position and allows fluid movement at the bottom of thetank when the tank is at a constant speed or accelerating. When the tankdecelerates and fluid is thrust towards the front of the tank, the fluidpushes the flap into a closed position to limit fluid movement towardsthe front of the tank.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a transportcontainer for use on a dump truck style tractor trailer comprising acontainer having an interior surface, an open top and a pivotabletailgate located at a back end of the container that is operable betweenan open and closed position at least one interior baffle pivotablyconnected to the interior surface of the container, the at least oneinterior baffle pivotable between a substantially vertical closedposition and an angled open position, wherein in the angled openposition a bottom end of the at least one interior baffle is pivotedtowards the tailgate; and a rod pivotably connected to the at least oneinterior baffle and to the tailgate for pivoting the at least oneinterior baffle and the tailgate substantially simultaneously betweenthe open and closed positions.

In a further embodiment, the transport container comprises a lidpivotably connected to the open top of the container for covering andsealing the open top.

In another embodiment, there are at least two interior baffles and theat least two interior baffles are connected to each other via a secondrod for pivoting, the at least two interior baffles substantiallysimultaneously.

In yet another embodiment, the transport container further comprises atailgate locking device for locking the tailgate in the closed position,wherein locking the tailgate simultaneously locks the at least onebaffle in the substantially vertical closed position.

In a further embodiment, the transport container is sealed when thetailgate is in the closed position.

In yet another embodiment, the transport container further comprises acleaning system for cleaning the interior surface of the container. Thecleaning system may comprise at least one jet operatively connected tothe container.

In one embodiment, the transport container further comprises a heatingsystem for heating the container.

In a further embodiment, when the baffle(s) is/are in the substantiallyvertical closed position there is a first void space between a bottomend of the baffle(s) and a bottom floor of the container.

In yet another embodiment the lid and tailgate are hydraulicallyactivated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described with reference to the accompanying figures inwhich:

FIG. 1 is side view of a transport trailer in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention:

FIG. 2 is a top view of a transport trailer in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a transport trailer in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a sectional side view of a transport trailer in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a sectional side view of a transport trailer in the dumpingposition in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a transport trailer lid in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an end view of a transport trailer lid in an open position inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an end view of a transport trailer lid in a closed position inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a section view of a transport trailer lid in a closed positionin accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an engineering diagram illustrating a transport trailer jetsystem in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a transport trailer jet system inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the figures, a transport trailer 10 is described. Thetrailer is an end dump trailer comprising a container 12, a lid 20, atailgate 30 and a first and second baffle 40, 42 connected to thetailgate via a rod 50. The trailer also generally includes a heatingsystem and a cleaning system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the container 12 includes a front end 12 a, rearend 12 b, two sidewalls 12 c and a floor 12 d. A hinge (not shown)operatively connects the rear end of the container to a trailer bed 70,and the container can pivot about the hinge such that the front end 12 alifts upward, as shown in FIG. 4B, using a hydraulic lifting ram 72.

The sidewalls of the container are generally vertical and parallel toone another. In the preferred embodiment, the container is approximately13 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, creating an internal volume ofapproximately 28 m³. Preferably, the internal volume of the container isapproximately 22 m³ to 28 m³, although various other sizes of acontainer could be used as would be known to one skilled in the art. Thewalls and floor of the container are preferably made of a strong durablematerial such as steel.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4A, the tailgate 30 has a top end 30 a thatis pivotably connected to the container rear end 12 b via a tailgatehinge (not shown). A bottom end 30 b of the tailgate swings outwardly toallow any contents 80 in, the container to flow out the rear end of thecontainer, as shown in FIG. 4B. The tailgate includes seals (not shown)located between the inside surface of the tailgate and the containerwalls for creating a tight seal and preventing any contents from leakingout, of the container when the tailgate is closed. The pivoting of thetailgate is preferably controlled using a hydraulic ram (not shown).Tailgate locking mechanisms 30 d lock the tailgate in a closed positionThe locking mechanisms may be automatically or manually controlled. Thetailgate also includes a pressure release valve 30 c that can be openedto equalize the pressure inside the container and outside the container.

Baffles

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first and second baffle 40, 42 aregenerally vertical baffles that are parallel to one another and locatedinside of the container, extending between the sidewalls 12 c to createa first compartment 82, second compartment 84, and third compartment 86.The baffles have a top end 40 a, 42 a and a bottom end 40 b, 42 b,wherein the top end is pivotably connected to the sidewalls via a hinge44. Preferably, the top end does not extend completely to the lid 20 andthe bottom end does not extend completely to the container floor 12 d,leaving a small gap above 46 and below 48 the baffle for allowing anycontents 80 in the container to slowly flow between the compartments toevenly distribute the contents between the containers. In oneembodiment, the baffles include small holes to allow the contents toslowly flow between the compartments for even distribution.

The first baffle 40 is connected to the tailgate 30 via a first rod 50,and the second baffle 42 is connected to the first baffle via a secondrod 52, The ends of the rods 50, 52 are connected to the baffles andtailgate with a hinge 54 or other pivot mechanism that pivots in avertical plane. As the tailgate opens, the baffles simultaneously openand pivot about the hinge 44 as a result of being connected to thetailgate via the rods, causing the baffle movements to mirror themovement of the tailgate, as shown in FIG. 4B. As the baffles andtailgate pivot open, the compartments in the container are opened upsuch that the contents from all the compartments can flow out the end ofthe container. When the tailgate is closed and locked in place, thebaffles are also locked in place in a vertical position,compartmentalizing the container into first, second and thirdcompartments 82, 84, 86 to prevent or reduce movement of the contents inthe container between compartments preventing the contents fromaccumulating at one end of the container. By locking the baffles inplace in their vertical position during transportation, the contents arealso prevent from surging between the front, and rear end of thecontainer when the trailer decelerates and accelerates during transport.

Although the invention has been described as having two baffles, theremay be any number of baffles to create any number of compartments. Theremay also be two or more parallel rods connecting the first baffle to thesecond baffle, and the tailgate to the first baffle in order to provideextra strength.

Container Lid

Referring to FIGS. 1-2 and 5-8, the lid 20 is a side-opening lid thatincludes a top surface 20 a, bottom surface 20 b and first and secondside 20 c, 20 d. The top surface 20 a of the lid is preferablyarch-shaped, while the bottom surface 20 b is generally flat. Referringto FIG. 5, a plurality of support members 20 f extend between the firstand second sidewalls to add structural support to the lid. In otherembodiments, various shapes and support mechanisms for the lid areprovided.

The first side 20 c of the lid is pivotably connected to the containersidewall 12 c via a hinge 20 e, which is preferably a “piano” stylehinge, allowing the second side 20 d of the lid to move upwardly from aclosed position shown in FIG. 7 to an open position, shown in FIG. 6.The lid includes a lifting ram 22, preferably a hydraulic lifting ram,for opening and closing the lid. The lid also includes locking mechanism24 for locking the lid in the closed position. The locking mechanismsare preferably hydraulically operated using locking rams 24 b. A seal(not shown) located between the lid bottom surface 20 b and thecontainer walls creates a tight seal when the lid is closed to preventany contents from leaking or spilling out of the container duringtransport. In other embodiments, various styles of opening, lifting andlocking mechanisms are provided.

Heating System

The heating system is used to prevent the contents in the container fromfreezing during cold temperatures, Referring to FIG. 5, the heatingsystem generally comprises a hose 62 operatively connected to theperimeter of the lid bottom surface 20 b, Warmed air or fluid can becirculated through the hose to warm the container and its contents. Thefluid circulation can be turned on and off in order to circulate thewarmed fluid only when necessary. In one embodiment the heat from theexhaust from the truck is captured and circulated in the hose. Inanother embodiment, an electrical system (not shown) is used to warm afluid such as glycol that is then circulated through the hose.

Cleaning System

The cleaning system is used for cleaning the container and generallycomprises a front, middle, and rear jet 60 a, 60 b, 60 c operativelyconnected from the top surface 20 a of the lid through to the bottomsurface 20 b of the lid, as best shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 8. The jetscombine air and water under high pressure to create a concentratedstream of water for impacting an inside surface of the container toblast contaminants from the surface, scouring the interior surface ofthe container clean. Preferably the jets automatically rotate 360° whenthey are blasting a stream of water such that the entire interiorsurface is impacted by the jet stream. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 8-10,water and air are supplied to the jets through lines 74 that areconnected to a water supply 76 and air supply 78 located on the outsideof the container. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is a water valve 76a and an air valve 78 a for controlling the flow, respectively, of waterand air through the lines 74. Each jet 60 a, 60 b, 60 c also has acorresponding valve 64 a, 64 b, 64 c for controlling the flow of waterand air to the jet. The valves may be automatically or manually turnedon or off to control the operation of the jets.

Method of Operation

In operation, a material such as a slurry is loaded into the containerthat is operatively connected to a trailer bed attached to a truck.During loading, the lid is in an open position, the tailgate is closedand locked and the container is in a flat horizontal position. As thetailgate is closed, the baffles are automatically in the locked,vertical position creating compartments in the container. The materialcan be loaded into the compartments of the container through the top ofthe container using an auger, hose, loader, or the like. After loading,the lid is closed by activating the hydraulic ram, and locked and sealedin place. During loading, the material will be evenly distributedbetween the compartments although as noted above, some communicationbetween compartments is possible.

The truck transports the trailer and container containing the load toanother site. Importantly, during transport the baffles are locked in avertical position, keeping the load contents compartmentalized andpreventing them sloshing between the front and rear ends of thecontainer and/or accumulating at one end of the container. If theexternal temperature is near or below freezing, the heater system may beturned on.

Upon arrival at the end site, the container is positioned for dumpingthe load out the rear end of the container. If in use, the heater systemis turned off. The pressure release valve on the tailgate is opened torelease any built up pressure inside the container. The front end of thecontainer is moved upwardly to angle the container with the rear endbelow the front end. The tailgate is unlocked and opened, whichsimultaneously unlocks and, pivots the baffles into an open position,allowing the load contents from all the compartments to flow out therear end of the container. After emptying the load, the jets may beturned on to clean out any debris left in the container from the load.After the jets have adequately cleaned the container, they are turnedoff and the tailgate is closed, thereby returning the baffles to theirvertical position, and the front end of the container is pivoted down toreturn the container to a horizontal position. The truck and trailer arethen ready to retrieve another load.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated withrespect to preferred embodiments and preferred uses thereof, it is notto be so limited since modifications and changes can be made thereinwhich are within the full, intended scope of the invention as understoodby those skilled in the art.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A transport container for use on a dumptruck style tractor trailer comprising: a container having an interiorsurface, an open top and a pivotable tailgate located at a back end ofthe container that is operable between an open and closed position; atleast one interior baffle pivotably connected to the interior surface ofthe container, the at least one interior baffle pivotable between asubstantially vertical closed position and an angled open position,wherein in the angled open position a bottom end of the at least oneinterior baffle is pivoted towards the tailgate; and a rod pivotablyconnected to the at least one interior baffle and to the tailgate forpivoting the at least one interior baffle and the tailgate substantiallysimultaneously between the open and closed positions.
 2. The transportcontainer of claim 1 further comprising a lid pivotably connected to theopen top of the container for covering and sealing the open top.
 3. Thetransport container of claim 1 wherein there are at least two interiorbaffles, wherein the at least two interior baffles are connected to eachother via a second rod for pivoting the at least two interior bafflessubstantially simultaneously.
 4. The transport container of claim 1further comprising a tailgate locking device for locking the tailgate inthe closed position, wherein locking the tailgate simultaneously locksthe at least one baffle in the substantially vertical closed position.5. The transport container of claim 2 wherein the container is sealedwhen the tailgate is in the closed position.
 6. The transport containerof claim 1 further comprising a cleaning system for cleaning theinterior surface of the container.
 7. The transport container of claim 6wherein the cleaning system comprises at least one jet operativelyconnected to the container.
 8. The transport container of claim 1further comprising a heating system for heating the container.
 9. Thetransport container of claim 1 wherein when the at least one baffle isin the substantially vertical closed position there is a first voidspace between a bottom end of the baffle and a bottom floor of thecontainer.
 10. The transport container of claim 2 wherein the tailgateand the lid are hydraulically activated.
 11. A transport container foruse on a dump truck style tractor trailer comprising: a container havingan interior surface, an open top and a pivotable tailgate located at aback end of the container that is operable between an open and closedposition; at least two interior baffles, each pivotably connected to theinterior surface of the container and pivotable between a substantiallyvertical closed position and an angled open position, wherein in theangled open position a bottom end of the baffle is pivoted towards thetailgate; and a lid pivotably connected to the open top of the containerfor covering and sealing the open top; wherein the at least two interiorbaffles and the tailgate are operably connected to each other via atleast one rod for pivoting the at least two interior baffles and thetailgate substantially simultaneously between the open and closedpositions.
 12. The transport container of claim 11 wherein when the atleast two interior baffles are in the substantially vertical closedposition there is a void space between the bottom ends of the bafflesand a bottom floor of the container.
 13. The transport container ofclaim 11 further comprising at least one jet operatively connected tothe container for cleaning the interior of the container.